The Divide
by Sara3502
Summary: Allen is leaving Linali, but she is determined to close the gap. Oneshot. Linli POV


Disclaimer- -Man and these characters belong to Katsura Hoshino, not me!

Allen was leaving me. And I couldn't do a thing to stop him.

The Order was convinced that he had changed, that he would vanish and that the 14th would reign in his body. They assigned people to watch him, and constantly tightened the leash they held onto him with. Then Allen rescued Kanda and was imprisoned. I was sure that if he held out then the generals would release him; they had eventually released me from my shackles when I disobeyed. Disobedience, and the consequences that follow, were something I would never forget.

Alarms rang and I realized that it was stupid to think that Allen would cower. He always followed his conscience no matter what I or anyone else did. He tried to die for an Akuma, for goodness sakes. I ran to find him, activating Dark Boots for speed. He was outside, activating the Ark.

"Where are you going, Allen?" I asked. "They'll be mad with if you activate the Ark without permission."

He smiled and agreed with me. I could see in his eyes that no matter what I said he would leave. We talked for a moment. He pulled me into a hug, still smiling. I think I cried. I pulled back and looked up at his disheveled face. His cheekbones stood out from his weary features. Clearly stress had caused a great strain on him recently, I noted.

My eyes met his, and his smile faltered for a moment into a lopsided frown. He bit his lower lip for a moment before an expression I couldn't place settled on to his face. He leaned down and brushed his lips on my own. "Goodbye, Linali" He breathed.

I could hardly call it romantic, his lips were so light they could have been a warm breeze. Or was that his breath? He had kept his arms at his sides, distance was constantly between us. It only lasted a second, then he turned and walked into the light of the arc, not even looking back. Tightness formed in my chest.

Screw the Order.

I ran after Allen, but he was already fading in the ark. I grabbed onto the back of his white shirt and yanked myself towards him. I was falling, but refused to let him go. We landed in a place unfamiliar to me. I lost my balance and fell into Allen's back and we landed in a heap on the ground. We were in an empty, dusty bar. It must have been one of General Cross's old haunts. Allen looked irritated at me. I had ruined his perfect escape. As always, he wanted to be self-sacrificing and burdened by everything all on his own. He shook his head and stood, holding out his hand to me.

"Linali, what are y-" I took his hand and launched myself at him. He was still speaking when I kissed him. His messy hair tickled my face. I was determined to close the distance between us. Realization and shock stiffened him. His arms were tight and held to his sides as I wrapped my arms around his neck. His wide eyes looked at me, and his lips felt the intensity of my own.

Allen always had a soft spot for Linali. The bubbly girl made him feel at ease, and that was an emotion he didn't feel very often. Now that she was kissing him, he realized she had feelings for him as well. The kiss he gave her when he was escaping was a selfish one. He had done it for his own sake. He needed a good memory to keep walking forward, and Linali had been right there… just like she always was. He didn't expect her to have the same feelings for him. And yet, now _she_ was kissing _him_. Her eyes looked at him, then closed.

Allen broke the kiss to close his mouth. She had chosen an odd moment to kiss him, after all. He rested his forehead on hers and laughed to himself for a moment. He had found himself in this same situation with Road, once. Being kiss-ambushed by Linali was much better, he thought. He quieted and swallowed, closing his eyes. He leaned in and met Linali's lips once more.

Allen broke away and low rumble of a laugh escaped from his mouth. It sounded exasperated, confused, yet somewhat giddy. If not for the situation I put him in, I would be a bit worried for his sanity. Then he leaned in and kissed me. It was firmer than the first time, but still hesitant. I put my hand in his white hair, ruffling it. He smiled and I laughed lightly, our lips still touching. I felt him relax and lean into the kiss further. His arms stopped hanging at his sides and he cupped my face with his right while his left wrapped around my waist. His breath tickled my face. He unbuttoned my exorcist jacket and cast it aside. I was wearing a simple black dress underneath. Now we were just a boy and a girl. The Order had no involvement here.

We continued like this for a while, sharing all of our fear, hope, and isolation. Both of us had many emotions bottled up during the war and we suddenly found them overflowing. When we stopped kissing, Allen held me in his arms. I suddenly couldn't hold back my words and began talking about everything at once yet nothing in particular. He was an excellent listener, which was something I needed so desperately. Eventually I lost things to talk about, so I sat in silence and listened to Allen's breathing become slow and deep.

When I woke up it was cold. My exorcist jacket was laying on me.


End file.
